Despite the technological advances that we use every day to bring each other closer together, there are still some that choose to leave everything behind and live in total solitude. In his photo series ‘Escape,’ Russian photographer Danila Tkachenko traveled through Russia and Ukraine in search of hermits living in self-imposed exile, far away from any city or village.

Tkachenko’s work raises questions about what identity truly means when we are forced to live how society tells us to: “School, work, family – once in this cycle, you are a prisoner of your own position. You should be pragmatic and strong, or become an outcast or a lunatic. How to remain yourself in the midst of this?”